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Although WrestleMania will forever be known as the “granddaddy of them all,” there is a palpable feeling of nostalgia, excitement, and anticipation as January rolls around and we near the Royal Rumble, the 30-man, over-the-top battle royale that has defined the industry for the greater part of three decades.
It is argued that WrestleMania is as important as it is partially due to the result of the Rumble, and many in the WWE Universe would honor the Rumble as being their favorite Pay-Per-View of the year (including this author).
There has been a total of 30 Royal Rumble events, the latest saw Randy Orton victorious and eventually challenge, and defeat, Champion Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania. Not while we may remember Rey Mysterio running the gauntlet in 2006 or Mr. McMahon taking home the top prize in 1999, there are a few select superstars who have defined and have been defined, by their Rumble performances.
Here are the top 4 Royal Rumble Winners of all time...
#4 Ric Flair
Ric Flair was relatively fresh in the World Wrestling Federation, only entering the company in September 2001, just a few short months from the 1992 Royal Rumble. After some bizarre finishes in a forgettable feud between Undertaker and Hulk Hogan, the WWF Championship was vacated in December of 1991, setting up a winner-take-all Royal Rumble in which the victor would become Champion that night.
To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. And that night, just a few months into his WWF career, Ric Flair came in at number 3, lasted over 1 hour (the longest at the time), and last eliminated Sid Justice to become the champ.
#3 Triple H
Get over it. Triple H is undoubtedly one of the greatest sports entertainers in the past 2 decades. The current COO has won a total of two Royal Rumbles – and has always ensured those victories were not in vain. In 2002, Triple H eliminated Kurt Angle to win the rumble after coming in at number 22, subsequently winning the undisputed WWF Championship from Chris Jericho in front of 68,000 fans at WrestleMania 18.
Similarly, to Ric Flair, Triple H took home the WWE Championship after coming in, surprisingly, at number 30 at the 2016 Royal Rumble, tossing Dean Ambrose over the top-rope to win his 14th World Championship.
#2 Shawn Michaels
There have only been a few competitors to win two Rumbles, and even fewer that have won them back-to-back. Shawn Michaels, the Heartbreak Kid, is one of them, after being the last man standing at both the 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumbles.
The 1995 Royal Rumble, however, was groundbreaking as it was the first Rumble in which the first competitor, Michaels, lasted the duration of the competition and won his chance to battle for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania against Diesel. Although Michaels was eventually defeated at WrestleMania, the fact that he was the foremost wrestler called into the Rumble and was victorious puts Michaels at #2 on our list.
Also, we haven’t even mentioned his 1996 victory, in which Michaels got his revenge and last eliminated Diesel with a Sweet Chin Music to gain the opportunity to compete for the title at WrestleMania 1996. This time, the Showstopper would ensure he cashed in his opportunity, defeated Bret Hart at WrestleMania to become Champion.
Part of the reason Michaels is considered “Mr. WrestleMania,” one could argue, is because he may be “Mr. Royal Rumble”
#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
This isn’t even close, truthfully. While Michaels has won 2, so has Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton, John Cena, and Batista. Only one man has been able to win 3 total Rumbles, and that is “the Rattlesnake,” Stone Cold Steve Austin. He, along with Michaels and Hogan, are the other competitors to win back-to-back Rumbles, taking home top prize at the 1997 and 1998 Royal Rumbles, with his third win happening in at the 2001 event.
As mentioned for our previous entries, the ability to “cash in” and use your opportunity after winning the Royal Rumble is critical to ensuring you go down as one of the best to ever compete in the event.
Stone Cold has had the inimitable honor of never losing at his WWE Championship opportunity after winning the Royal Rumble, he has been successful 2 of out 3 times, with his first win being ruled “unworthy” for a WWE Championship match as Gorilla Monsoon ruled because Austin re-entered the match (Officials did not see him eliminated), he would not be receiving the WrestleMania title shot against Shawn Michaels.
In fact, though Mr. McMahon would actually win the 1999 Royal Rumble, the “Chairman of the Board” renounced his title shot the next night and the opportunity fell to runner-up Austin to compete against The Rock for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 1999, of which he was also successful.
Austin, after a one-year hiatus from WrestleMania main events, would win the 2001 Royal Rumble and go on to face The Rock once again at Wrestlemania. The Rock, who at the time had a clear curse in battling Austin at WrestleMania, was once again defeated by Austin, ensuring that Austin, once again, never fails to make the most of his opportunities granted after Rumble victories.
Who do you think is the greatest Rumble competitor of all time? Let us know in the comments or tweet @AteixeiraPR
